"Ankara II: Turkish Hospitality, Wonk-Style
I spent a really good day having a whole series of interesting conversations with members of a think tank here, ASAM. ASAM was the first think tank in Turkey (established in 1999) and is closely tied to the military establishment. Through a former Jane’s colleague I made contact with ASAM’s main energy policy analyst, who then set up a somewhat grueling series of meetings with experts on the US, the Caucasus and Central Asia. There was a break at the institute’s cafeteria for lunch with a few of the top scholars there, but even then we talked about Iraq, US policy toward the PKK, etc., so it was about five hours of nonstop serious policy conversation. But everyone was very cool and smart and all of it was good preparation for my imminent arrival in the Caucasus."
More:Istanbul - Beijing: Josh's travelogue though the underside of the former USSR: Ankara II: Turkish Hospitality, Wonk-Style
